The Child is Gone
by FiercestCalm
Summary: The pressure finally gets to be too much for Gohan and he snaps...
1. Default Chapter Title

The Child is Gone 

As the darkness turns to dawn the child is gone. - Fiona Apple, "The Child is Gone" 

"It's all your fault, it's all your fault, it's all your fault." "No!" Gohan yelled. "It couldn't be helped. I didn't do it!" But despite what he said, the voices in his head kept repeating that little phrase. "If only I had killed Cell in one blow. If only Dad hadn't stepped forward. If only Cell hadn't…" Gohan's thoughts were interrupted by a hand on his shoulder. He looked up at Piccolo's face and buried his head in Piccolo's arms. He felt Piccolo tense up like he always did when Gohan showed affection towards him, but Gohan just hugged Piccolo's waist. Gohan began to cry softly. Piccolo looked down at him. "I'm proud of you" he said, "and I'm sure your father is proud of you too." "He can't be proud of me. He's dead. I killed him." Gohan said softly. Piccolo took his shoulders and pushed him back. "You didn't kill him, Gohan. He decided hid own fate. You have to realize that." Gohan pushed back and stood up. " When I was young I was continually taken from my father. Because of me, my little brother doesn't even have one." Piccolo reached towards Gohan, but he backed up and began to yell. " I could've killed Cell! I could have killed him in one blow! But I didn't, and now my family is falling apart. It's all my fault!" Gohan turned and ran into the woods. "Gohan!" Piccolo yelled and ran after him. Gohan ran and ran until he couldn't feel his legs. He sat upon a log, panting. He looked down at the log and pulled off a sharp piece of bark." I was already wished back by the Dragonballs once. If I die, they can't wish me back." Gohan thought. He hesitated a moment, then brought the piece of bark to his throat. " Sorry Mom" he whispered, and cut his throat. " Nooo!" Piccolo screamed as he reached the clearing. He picked up Gohan. "Please Gohan, don't do this!" Gohan looked up at Piccolo with sad and frightened eyes. "Sorry" he whispered and breathed his last. 

"He maketh me to lie down in green pastures, He leadeth me beside still waters…" the preacher droned on, but no one was really listening. The sounds of wailing filled the cemetery grounds. Kurilin stood beside ChiChi, comforting her and trying to suppress his own tears. He wasn't succeeding. Bulma had her head buried in Vejita's shirt and was sobbing. Piccolo noticed that even Vejita's eyes were wet. Piccolo himself was standing behind everyone, letting tears stream down his face. Eventually the funeral ended and the guests respectively passed by Piccolo. Yamcha laid a hand on his shoulder. " At least now he's with his father." he said and walked by. Once everyone had gone except ChiChi, who was sitting with her head in her hands, Piccolo walked up to the casket. Beside it was a little collage of pictures of Gohan. There was a picture of him when he was young, when he was training with Piccolo, in Sayian armor when they fought Freezia, and Super Saia-jin in the Cell Game. He touched the picture. This was how he remembered him, not like he was in the casket. The young boy who had an incredible burden that he really didn't want to bear. The boy that was forced into adulthood. Piccolo turned to look at ChiChi. She was sitting silently with her shoulders trembling slightly. He walked over to her and looked down at her for a moment, then placed a hand on her shoulder. She looked up slowly and let out a choked sob. Piccolo bent down and put his arms around her. ChiChi fell onto him and sobbed. 

Gohan floated above Snake Way, debating what to do. He desperately wanted to see his father, but he knew that Goku would be disappointed in him if he knew that he had left his mother and brother alone. Gohan thought for a moment and realized that Goku didn't even know that ChiChi was pregnant. "Mom" he whispered and looked down. He knew that she would be heartbroken and she didn't even have Goku to comfort her. Gohan gently landed and turned towards Snake Way. He knew he had to tell his father sometime, and besides, he didn't have anywhere else to go. He looked up at his halo. OK, so maybe he did have somewhere else to go, but he sure wasn't going there. Then he ran. 

"MoshiMoshi?" Bulma said quietly into the phone. "Bulma? Is that you?" The voice on the phone was cracked and soft. "ChiChi? " Bulma asked. " Yes," ChiChi replied. " Bulma I hate to ask this of you, but could I stay with you for a little while? Just until I'm more… settled." "Of course!" Bulma replied. " It's the very least I can do. You can stay in one of the guestrooms. Trunks may wake you, but besides that it's mostly quiet." "Thank you Bulma. I'll be over in a little while." ChiChi hung up. Bulma stood for a moment with the phone to her ear. Vejita walked into the room and looked at her. " Who is it?' he said. " It was ChiChi. She's going to be staying with us for a while." Bulma said, staring straight ahead. Vejita made a grunting noise and walked past her. Bulma carefully walked to a couch and collapsed onto it. " Oh Vejita…" she whispered. 

Piccolo floated in the middle of the desert. His eyes stayed unfocused and arms were crossed loosely. He looked exactly the same as he always did, except for a single tear running down his face. The phrase that Yamcha had said to him kept repeating in his mind. "At least now he's with his father." Piccolo floated down to the dusty ground. "I'd rather him be with me" he whispered and closed his eyes. 

Chouzu attached himself to Tien's leg and cried loudly. Tien absently patted his head. Chouzu looked up and sniffed. "W-why? Tien…?" he said quietly. " I don't know" Tien said, looking straight ahead, "I don't know." 

Yamcha sat on his couch beside Kurilin. They were both silent as they stared at a television they weren't watching. " Is it true? Did he kill himself?" Yamcha said, not looking away from the TV. Kurilin looked down. " I think so. It's… it's not right. He was always such a happy kid. Not even Piccolo and Vejita could bring him down." he said. Yamcha nodded and said, " He took after his father." Kurilin bent his head. "Yes. He did." 

ChiChi stood inside one of Bulma's many guestrooms. Bulma had helped her settle in, made sure she really was OK, and had gone to start dinner. She walked over to the bed and sat down. First her dear husband had forced her baby boy to fight some horrible monster, then he had to go and be heroic and leave her. She didn't really blame Gohan for what he did. She patted her stomach. "At least I won't be alone for long" she thought. She knew that Bulma would help her raise him, and maybe even Yamcha, Tien, or one of those guys would help. She sighed. She was so looking forward to raising another child with Goku. He was a wonderful father to Gohan. She looked down. She had always thought that Gohan would be a great father, but now it wasn't possible. " Dinner!" she heard Bulma call from somewhere below her. ChiChi remained on the bed with her head bent. After a few minutes Bulma peeked her head in the door. "ChiChi?" she said. ChiChi raised her head. " ChiChi, Hon, aren't you going to eat something?" "No" ChiChi said." I'm really not hungry." "You should eat something." Bulma said. She thought a minute." Well, I guess you wouldn't get much to eat anyway, with a Sayian man and a 7-month old Sayian. I guess you do know what it's like, don't y-" Bulma stopped short. " I'm so sorry ChiChi, I didn't mean to bring that up." ChiChi laughed sadly. " I think I'm actually going to miss cooking a banquet at every meal. Now you go down and make sure Vejita isn't trying to kill Trunks." "Are you sure ChiChi?" Bulma said, looking doubtful. ChiChi nodded. " OK. Just come and tell me if you want to talk." Bulma said and closed the door. A minute later ChiChi could hear Bulma screaming at Vejita for hitting Trunks. She sighed. Apparently, nobody's dreams come true anymore. 

Gohan stood at the end of Snake Way. He knew his father could sense his ki, but he felt like he couldn't move. He finally took a deep breath and jumped as far as he could. He hovered above the small planet a moment, looking for his King Kai and his father. They weren't there, so he guessed they were inside, probably eating. In that case, Goku might not have sensed Gohan. He didn't sense much besides food when he was eating. Gohan landed with a thud, but he was still on his feet. He walked heavily over to the door and knocked. King Kai opened the door and almost fell down. "Goku!" he yelled. Goku looked up, his cheeks puffed out with food. Gohan couldn't help but laugh. Goku stood up, knocking his chair backward in the process. He walked up to his son. "Daddy…" Gohan said. Goku's eyes shimmered. Gohan hadn't called him that in a long time. Goku kneeled down to Gohan's height. Gohan ran and hugged his father. Goku closed his eyes and held his son. "Dad…" Gohan said, pulling back. Goku nodded. "I know son. I know." 

Kurilin, Yamcha, Tien and Chouzu stood in front of the door to Capsule Corporation. Kurilin held his finger to the doorbell but didn't ring it. He turned around to the others. "Are you guys sure we should do this? Do you think ChiChi is ready?" Yamcha shook his head. "Probably not, but we're here aren't we? Come on people, we're the strongest humans on earth! We can do this." Tien and Chouzu nodded in agreement. Kurilin sighed and pressed the doorbell. Bulma swung open the door. "Yes? Oh, hi guys!" she said. "We're here to give our condolences to ChiChi." Kurilin said. Chouzu piped up. "We brought casserole!" Bulma looked surprised. "You guys COOKED?" The guys all looked at Yamcha "Um… well I…" He said. "Nevermind. Come on in." Bulma said. As they walked down the hallway Bulma walked backwards, talking to them. "ChiChi is taking a nap right now, but she'll probably be up pretty soon." she led them to the living room and motioned for them to sit down. "You're no the first visitors we've had." she said. "Mr. Satan and his daughter came to give their regards yesterday. Videl, his daughter, is about Gohan's age. She's going to have tea with us later today." ChiChi came down the stairs. Her eyes were red and puffy and she had tear tracks down her cheeks. " Bulma, can you help me-" she stopped when she saw the four men sitting in front of her. Bulma quickly walked over to her. She led her around the corner, calling over her shoulder that they would be right back. The guys all gawked at each other. After a few seconds Tien spoke up. " I didn't know she was that bad." Bulma walked back in. "I'm sorry guys, but I'll have to ask you to leave. ChiChi and I have to get ready for Videl. Thanks for the casserole… Yamcha." She looked over her shoulder and whispered, "She has her good days and her bad days. So far it's been a bad day." They guys nodded and found the door. " Bye Bulma! Bye ChiChi." They yelled and left. 

Piccolo stood in the doorway to the Son house. It smelled of lemon freshness and years of cooking. He breathed it in and walked to where he knew Gohan's room was. It was rather large, with a bed and big desk. Piccolo sat on the bed and looked around. On the desk were a large stack of papers and a couple of shirts. On his dresser was a couple of gis like his fathers. Piccolo stood up and walked over to the desk. The papers were mostly math-looking things, but they were occasionally a sketch. Piccolo leafed through the sketches. One was of ChiChi sitting on the kitchen table, staring into space. One was of him and Gohan in the desert, caught in mid-punch. The last on was of Gohan and Goku. They were both on the floor and their mouths were open, laughing. Piccolo put the sketches back down and walked out of the room. He now knew why ChiChi couldn't stay there. The place reeked of family and friends, happiness and love. He had to get out. Back to the desert which smelled of memories and dried blood. Gohan sat at King Kai's table, his head bowed in shame. Goku had seen all that had happened from King Kai's planet. He sat across from Gohan. " Gohan" he said quietly. Gohan didn't move. "Gohan, look at me." he said, this time a little firmer. Gohan raised his head. " I don't blame you for what you did. That was too much guilt and… and power for a little boy." Gohan looked down again and whispered "Dad, there's something I didn't tell you. Mom is pregnant." Goku made a small whimpering noise. "Dad I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner." Gohan said, looking at his father. Goku stood up. " It's all right Gohan" He said and walked away. Gohan closed his eyes and put his head on the table. 

ChiChi buried her head in her pillow. That girl Videl had just left and ChiChi wasn't in the best of moods. There was a sudden gust of wind in the room and she looked up. Before her stood Piccolo. She gasped and sat up on the bed. " Piccolo, what are you doing here?" she said. Piccolo growled a little, then said, "I came here to talk to you." ChiChi got up off the bed and stood up. "What do you want to talk to me about?" Piccolo coughed. "What do you want?" she said quietly. "Haven't you already done enough damage? Do you want to take me too? Maybe I'll kill myself too. Will you be happy then?" Tears began running down her face. "I'm not happy." Piccolo said. "I was only happy when I was with… when I was with Gohan. No, I came to tell you that I'm … I'm… I'm sorry." ChiChi looked at him in surprise. "I'm sorry for everything. I'm sorry I fought your husband. I'm sorry I took Gohan. I'm sorry I couldn't stop Gohan from… I'm sorry I had to tell you that-" ChiChi held her hand up. "Stop." she said. "Look, we both lost someone dear to our hearts. Two someones for me. We shouldn't be such enemies. I just think-" ChiChi stopped. The tears were flowing heavily down her face and she couldn't talk past the lump in her throat. Piccolo stepped towards her. She collapsed onto him. Piccolo tensed and raised his arms to push her away. "No." he thought. "I didn't hold Gohan that last time. I can hold her." Piccolo slowly raised his arms and put them around her. ChiChi stood in the middle of her room. Her legs were covered in a sticky clearish substance. She slowly looked down. "BULMABULMABULMABULMA!" she screamed. Bulma crashed into her room. "What's wrong ChiChi?" she asked breathlessly. ChiChi pointed to her legs. "My water broke!" Bulma's eyes grew larger. "Ok… I can do this. Um, we should get you to the hospital as soon as possible. VEJITA!" Bulma said haltingly. Vejita walked calmly into the room. "What do you want woman?" he said and eyed ChiChi's legs. ChiChi narrowed her eyes and pulled down her nightgown. " You have to take ChiChi to the hospital. She's having her baby!" Bulma said loudly. " I'm not taking that-" Bulma slapped him across the cheek. " You will take ChiChi to the hospital or her baby will just plop out right here on the floor and guess who's gonna hafta clean up the mess? Mr. High and Mighty Sayia-jin Prince, that's who!" ChiChi snickered despite herself. Vejita lifted his lip in a snarl. " Don't you dare talk to the Prince of the-" ChiChi interrupted him this time. She was doubled over on the floor, groaning. Bulma rushed over to her. "Oh Dende, she's in labor!" Vejita started to back out of the door. "You're not going anywhere, mister." Bulma said without turning from ChiChi. " Get your tight little butt over here!" Vejita slowly walked over to the two women. "Fine" he snarled. " I'll take her. But only if she doesn't groan like that." "Excuse me? " ChiChi said, recovering from her contraction. " Have you ever carried a Sayia-jin inside of you for nine months? Do you realize how painful it is to have a very strong baby kick you in your internal organs? Until you've felt that, you haven't felt real pain." Vejita growled at her, but he squatted down, somehow still managing to still look royal. ChiChi gingerly climbed on, barely able to put her arms around him for the size of her stomach. Vejita stood up. "Kuso woman, you're heavy!" "Shut up and fly." ChiChi said. " Ok you two, be off. I'll be right behind you. I'm just going to call some people and gather some clothes for you." Vejita looked at her for a minute. "Trunks." he said simply. "Oh yes, him too." Bulma said and shooed them off. Vejita and ChiChi flew off. Bulma breathed in deeply and reached for the phone. "Speed dial 3-Yamcha" she muttered. She pressed three and waited for the phone to stop ringing. Yamcha answered with something that resembled a hello. "Yamcha? It's Bulma. ChiChi's having her baby!" She heard a thud. "Yamcha? Yamcha? Are you ok?" Yamcha nodded, then realized that he was on the phone. "Yes, I'm ok." he said, "I'll go to the hospital right away." "Actually, could you get Tien, Chouzu and Piccolo? I'm sure you can sense their whachamacallit." "ki?" Yamcha asked. "Yes. Anyway, I don't know how to reach them so..." "Yeah, yeah, I will." Yamcha said, yawning. "Ok!" Bulma chirped and hung up. "Speed dial 4-Kurilin" she muttered. She pressed 4. The phone was picked up halfway through the first ring. "Been drinking to much coffee again Kurilin?" she asked. "Yes, yes, Bulma. What do you need? Is something wrong?" he asked in a coffee high voice. "Calm down Kurilin. No, ChiChi's having her baby!" Thud. "Kurilin? You ok?" Kurilin stood back up and grabbed the phone. " Yes, I'm ok. I'll go right to the hospital." He hung up. Bulma hung the phone up and walked down the hall towards Trunk's room. She went in, dismissing the guard robot and picked Trunks up out of his crib. He blinked at her a second, then began cooing. She smiled at him and walked down the hallway. She threw some clothes together and ran towards her car, Trunks under one arm, wriggling, and a suitcase under the other. She hopped into the car, strapped Trunks into his seat, and threw the suitcase into the backseat. "The hospital please" she said. "Yes Mrs. Bulma" a computerized voice said and the car sped off. 

"Dad! Daddy, wake up!" Gohan said frantically, shaking his father. Goku moaned and rolled over, whacking Gohan with his arm. Gohan fell backwards. "Dad, please! You've gotta see this!" Goku opened one eye and peered at Gohan. Then he opened his other eye and slowly got out of bed. Gohan grabbed his arm and dragged him out to King Kai. "Goku," King Kai said, "Your wife is giving birth!" Bulma crashed into the hospital and rushed up to the receptionist. "Son ChiChi 'she gasped. The nurse tapped a few keys. "Room 121. Now are you family or-" Bulma ran towards the stairs and shouted thank you over her shoulder. She ran up two stairs at a time and found herself in front of room 121. She opened the door and looked inside. ChiChi lay on a bed near the wall. Vejita stood in a corner, his arms folded and his eyes closed. Bulma ran to the bed. "ChiChi! Are you all right? Where's the doctor?" she said breathlessly. ChiChi smiled. "I'm fine," she said softly. "The doctor will be here in a minute." There was a knock at the door. Kurilin poked his head in. "Hi!" he said. "I got here as soon as I could." ChiChi turned her head towards Kurilin. " Thank you for coming Kurilin." Kurilin smiled. "No problem." Bulma looked around. "I wonder where Yamcha and the others are." she said. A scream and a thunk were heard. "That would be them," Kurilin said, smirking. A few seconds later the four guys entered the room. Piccolo had one of those looks, Tien had his hand over his third eye, and Chouzu was adjusting his hat. Bulma had to turn around and cover her mouth to suppress her laughter. Kurilin didn't even try. Yamcha was already bent over, tears streaming from his smiling eyes. A doctor walked in, her eyes getting wider and wider as she looked around the room, "Now which one of you is…" she flipped through some papers on a clipboard. "Son Goku?" Everyone stopped laughing. ChiChi closed her eyes. "Uh... Son Goku is… he's dead," Bulma said quietly. "I'm sorry," the doctor said. "What about… Son Gohan?" "Him too," Bulma said, glancing at ChiChi. The doctor looked a bit surprised. "Any other family?" she asked, slowly looking around. "No," Bulma said "But we're all her close friends." "All right," the doctor said. "Then why don't you" she pointed to Bulma, "and you" she pointed to Vejita. "Stay here, the rest of you sit outside." Vejita opened his eyes and looked spetical. Chouzu sighed. Piccolo, Yamcha and Tien stalked outside, Chouzu and Kurilin tagging along behind them. Bulma grabbed Vejita's hair and dragged him over to the bed. "Rrrrrrrrrggggggggggggg! CON-TRAC-TION! "ChiChi groaned and grabbed Vejita's hand. She squeezed it. Vejita's face changed into a look of pain. "You-you caused all this!" she gasped. "You tried to kill my husband and my-my son! Picc-olo trained him because… OF YOU!" ChiChi dropped his hand and panted. Vejita cradled his hand in his other arms, poking at it gently and cringing. Bulma suppressed a snicker and leaned over ChiChi. "You Ok?" she asked gently. "No Vejita said grumpily. "I wasn't talking to you!" Bulma yelled. "But-but- look!" he said, letting his hand dangle limply, the fingers all at strange angles. Bulma laughed. "ChiChi smiled. "Uhh…sorry." she said. Vejita hmmphed. ChiChi giggled. The doctor stepped forward. "Excuse me" she said. "Son-san, it may be time to start pushing." 

Goku sat in front of the image King Kai had produced a look of intense jealousy on his face. Gohan sat beside him, his eyes wide and unblinking. Every now and then his eyes would start to roll back in his head, and King Kai would hit him, making him blink. Eventually the two snapped out of it, and Gohan elbowed his father. "Is that what it was like when I was born? Ewwww." Goku looked down at him and smiled. "Yes." he said, "exactly like that." His smile faded. "Except I was there holding ChiChi's hand. I have the scars to prove it." 

ChiChi laid back. Her face was flushed and her hair hung limply at her shoulders. "It's a boy!" the doctor said, holding up the screaming baby. She handed the baby to ChiChi. The baby immediately stopped crying and looked curiously up at his mother. The doctor gently took the baby and washed him. She gave him back to ChiChi Bulma grinned widely and stuck her head out the door. "It's a boy!" she yelled. Everyone who was in the hallway turned and looked. The boys all turned and looked at her. They all rushed into the room, followed by Videl. Bulma looked at her oddly, but Videl just lowered her eyes and walked towards ChiChi. The doctor pushed through all the people until she stood beside the bed. "Son-san, there's something you should look at. Your son-he has-this May sound crazy, but he has a tail. A grim look crossed ChiChi's face as she lifted the child. Sure enough, a small brown tail whipped around under him. ChiChi closed her eyes and handed the baby to the doctor. "Cut it off, please." she said quietly. Vejita opened his mouth to protest, but a look from Bulma shut him up quickly. The doctor nodded and quickly walked out of the room. ChiChi laid her head against the pillows and sighed. Bulma moved a little closer to Vejita. They all were quiet for a moment and most of them jumped when the doctor came back inside. She handed the baby to ChiChi, who sat up and opened her eyes, taking the baby. He had a small bandage where his tail had once been. Yamcha leaned in close and rubbed the baby's hair. It was black and it stood straight up. ChiChi smiled. "He looks exactly like Goku. Well, at least his hair hasn't started to spike up yet." she said, running a hand through his hair. Bulma put her arm around Vejita and gently led him toward the door, motioning for everyone else to follow. They all filed out the door, smiling at the mother and son. 

Goku sat in front of the image King Kai had produced. Gohan lay beside him, his head in Goku's lap. Gohan had drifted off to sleep right after they cut off the baby's tail. Goku absently ran his hand through Gohan's hair. ChiChi looked up, almost as if she were looking at Goku. "Oh, Goku." she said sadly. "I wish you were here. Don't worry, though. I'll allow him to train. I hope" she stopped to wipe a tear from her face. "I hope he will never feel the need to really fight someone, though. I do need to name him." Goku closed his eyes and held back his own tears. "Goten" he whispered. ChiChi brought the child closer to herself. "Goten" she whispered. The baby yawned and peered up towards Goku. Gohan whimpered in his sleep. Goku looked from Gohan to ChiChi and Goten. "My family" he said softly "My life." 

Chances thrown Nothing's free Longing for what used to be Still it's hard Hard to see Fragile Lives, shattered dreams -"The Kid's Aren't Allright", The Offspring 


	2. Default Chapter Title

Crossroads 

Find that path alone Crossroads lead me away But that's not what worries me I just want to know what's home. -The Offspring, "Crossroads" 

Gohan lay back on the bed (he still couldn't think of it as his own bed, that would always be back on earth). H e had spoken to her again. She was growing. So was he, of course, but he didn't know it. It had been a date this time. It was different, it was always different, but it was a date nonetheless. She still hadn't recognized him. That was probably for the better. He did wonder, though, what would have been. He may have dated her if he had been alive. Sometimes he regretted doing it. He tried to keep his mind of that subject for the well being of him and his father. Goku walked into the room. Gohan snapped his eyes open. "Hey Dad" he said and sat up. "Hi." Goku said and sat beside him. "Whatcha been watching Videl so much for?" he asked. "I dunno. She's my age, I guess." Gohan replied, picking at the corner of his bedspread. "Oh. I thought you were watching her because she's cute." Goku said, a sly grin creeping across his face. Gohan blushed. "Did you know that 18 had a kid?" Goku asked. Gohan looked up in surprise. "Really? Who with?" "Yeah. With Kurilin of all people!" Gohan laughed. "I'm sorry," he said, "but Kurilin and 18? That's almost as weird as Vejita and Bulma… but not quite." Goku's expression turned serious. "What's wrong, Dad?" Gohan asked. "The Tenki Budaki is coming up in a couple of weeks. I've been thinking about asking Baba to take us back that day. Do you think you would uh… come back with me?" Goku said with a slightly pleading look in his eyes. Gohan looked down at his hands for a moment, then replied, "Yeah. I'll go." Goku smiled and gave his son a quick hug. "Great! Dinner's almost ready." He said and left the room. Gohan closed his eyes and began to levitate, looking something like Piccolo. His eyebrows knitted together in deep concentration, and he found himself in a room. Goten was in the room and as soon as he saw Gohan he ran towards him and hugged him. Gohan grinned. "Guess what? "Gohan said, tussling his brother's hair. "What?!?" Goten said excitedly. "I'm going to see you soon!" Gohan said, kneeling down to Goten's height. "Really? Wow! When?" Goten exclaimed, grinning broadly. "Just soon." He said and stood back up. He picked Goten up and hugged him. He put him back down and turned around. "Don't go! Goten yelled. Gohan walked away, now finding himself in a nice restaurant. Videl sat at a table for two by a window. She looked up and smiled at Gohan as he sat in the chair in front of her. "I'm going to really see you soon." He said. She looked surprised. "Really!!?"How will I know it's you?" You'll know." He said and vanished. He found himself back in the bedroom, still levitating over the bed. King Kai's voice drifted in from outside. "Dinner's ready!" 

Goten fell out of bed. The first light of morning seeped in through the window and the smell of his mother's cooking wafted through the halls of Capsule Corporation. He ran down some stairs and through some corridors until he got to the kitchen. "Morning, Mommy!" he said as he jumped into a kitchen chair. "Morning honey. You're sure happy this morning." ChiChi said. "Yup! That boy was in my dream again and he told me that he was coming to see me!" Goten said, bouncing up and down in his chair. "I'm sure he did, honey." ChiChi said and handed him a plate of food. He wolfed down the food and jumped off his chair. "I'm going outside!" he said. "OK." ChiChi said, "Trunks and Vejita are already out there. Oh yeah, Bulma and me are going shopping later. Videl will baby-sit you." "Yeah!" Goten yelled and ran outside. "Be careful!" ChiChi called after him. Bulma walked sleepily down the stairs in her robe and slippers. She yawned. "Do they have to get up this early on Saturday?" ChiChi laughed. "Believe me, you get used to it." She fixed two plates and sat down at the table, motioning for Bulma to join her. "Was Gohan this wild when he was young?" Bulma asked, sitting beside ChiChi. ChiChi nodded and laughed. "Yes, even more so, actually. Have you ever noticed that little scar on Goku's forehead?" Bulma nodded. "That was from Gohan. Yup, he was a pretty violent baby. He'd get a hold of one of the butcher knifes and all HFIL would break loose. I swear, we couldn't rest for a minute. Oh, and this one time Goku fed him this caffeine bar thing and he was bouncing off the walls-literally." Both women laughed for a moment and sad look crossed over ChiChi's face. "You still miss them, don't you?" Bulma asked quietly. ChiChi nodded. "I sometimes wonder what would have been. Goten-he's all I have left. I think I'd die if I lost him. Bulma stood up and hugged ChiChi. "I know we'll see Goku and Gohan again someday." She said. ChiChi put her head down on the table. "I hope so, Bulma, I really hope so." She whispered. 

" What do you mean, bring both of you back?" Baba screeched. "Just that. Said Goku. "We both can come back, can't we?" "Not at the same time! I may be able to do it a couple of hours apart, but that's it!" Goku nodded. "That'll be OK." He said. Baba scowled. Goku looked at Gohan. Do you want to go first? He asked. Gohan shook his head. "No, Dad, you'd better go first." Goku smiled. "OK. See you in a couple of hours!" he said. "Yeah. See ya." Gohan said. Baba did her magic and the halo disappeared. "Good!" he said and jumped up off the planet. "Bye! He said and jumped down onto Snake Way. " With his newfound strength, Goku should reach earth in about 5 hours." King Kai said to no one in particular. Gohan looked at Baba. How long should it be until you can change me back to life?" he asked. Baba shrugged and said, "I don't know. Two hours at least." Gohan sighed and sat down. "Wake me when you're ready." He said and closed his eyes. 

"Ow!" "Goten, honey, don't touch that grill!" It was a typical barbecue. Vejita was leaning against a tree with his eyes closed and his arms crossed. ChiChi and Bulma were trying to keep their sons' hands clean. Videl was looking up at the sky, looking something like Vejita. 18 stood by Videl. "Goten! Stop it!" ChiChi yelled as Goten picked up a caterpillar. It scared poor Goten so much that he dropped it. Trunks, of course, stepped on it. "EEEEWWW!" he said as he lifted his foot and looked at the caterpillar remains. "Cool!" Goten said. "Goten!" ChiChi yelled. Bulma and 18 walked up to her with an almost evil look in their eyes. They took a confused ChiChi into the house. "What are you doing? ChiChi asked. "Your husband is coming back today." Bulma said. "We wouldn't want him not to notice you, now would we?" 18 said innocently. ChiChi started giggling nervously. Bulma opened up a big closet and began pulling out clothes and throwing them on the bed. 18 pulled ChiChi over to a vanity and pulled out huge boxes of make-up. She began making up ChiChi. After she was done Bulma oh-ed and ah-ed over her and began trying outfits on her. After they found the perfect outfit they spun ChiChi around to face a full-length mirror as her jaw dropped clear to the floor. "You look… beautiful!" Bulma and 18 said together. "I look like a whore!" ChiChi yelled. 18 seemed to look even eviler. "That's the point." She said. She and Bulma pulled ChiChi outside. "Man, I'll never call ChiChi matronly again." Tien said under his breath. 18 heard him and snickered. Bulma noticed Yamcha trying to hide behind Chouzu. "So what do you think of ChiChi's makeover?" Bulma asked. "Do you think Goku will notice?" "If he doesn't he must still be dead." Kurilin said. "I guess I'll take that as a compliment, Kurilin." ChiChi said quietly, blushing. "What in the world is that?" asked Marron in her cute little voice. She pointed to a bright light right beside ChiChi. A person stepped out of the light and everyone stepped back a little. "Hey everyone. Miss me?" the person said. ChiChi's face flooded with recognition as she hoped beyond hope that the voice belonged to the one she thought it did. "Go…Goku?" she asked tentivly. "Yup. Hi ChiChi, it's been a while." He said and opened his arms. "Goku!" ChiChi screamed as she ran into his embrace, hugging him tightly. He held her for a moment, then asked, "ChiChi, what's the matter, why're you crying?" "I think she's just happy to see you, Goku." Kurilin said, smiling. "They're happy tears." 18 said, smiling at Kurilin. 

"Gohan! Gohan! Wake up!" yelled Baba. Gohan opened one eye and looked at Baba. "Are you ready? He asked, opening his other eye. Baba nodded. He stood up, towering above her. Baba once again did her magic on Gohan and his halo disappeared. Gohan looked up and smiled. "Thanks Baba." He said. Baba nodded. King Kai walked out of his house. "Oh good, you're alive. I'm not sure how long it will take you to get past Snake Way. Good luck, Gohan. Don't come back here before you need to." He said. Gohan smiled. "Thanks King Kai. Don't worry, I won't." He jumped up and floated above the planet. King Kai waved. "Goodbye Gohan!" he yelled. Gohan waved back. "Goodbye!" he yelled and floated down to Snake Way, beginning to run. 

Goku raised a fork to his mouth, ready to eat. "Goku!" King Kai yelled. Goku sighed. "Yes, Kai?" he asked. "I just sent Gohan on down Snake Way. He should be on earth today, but it may be late." Goku grinned and nodded. "Great!" he said." Thanks King Kai." He put down his fork and his plate of pie and smiled at the other people around the table. "Gohan's coming back!" he announced loudly. "Sometime today, probably late." That announcement got a smile out of everyone (except Vejita, of course.). Goku even saw Piccolo grin briefly before he turned away from the others. "Tell me," Bulma said, "How is Gohan? What is he now, 16?" Goku nodded. "Same age as Videl." 18 said and winked slyly at Videl. Videl blushed a deep red color. Goku smiled at her, but she wasn't too sure what it meant. She had a feeling he was hiding something from her. A voice cut through the slightly awkward silence. "When does the tenki Budaki start?" Vejita asked strongly but quietly. Goku glanced up at the clock. "About 2 and a half hours." He said. "You guys wanna go there after desert, just to get an early start? I'm sure Gohan will figure out where we are." They all nodded and continued eating. 

Gohan sighed. Snake Way wasn't much of a challenge to any of them anymore, but it was still an incredibly boring trip. He kept going as fast as he did because he wanted to see Piccolo and his mom and Bulma and all those people. But he was also looking forward to meeting someone else-Videl. He wondered if she would recognize him. Same goes for Goten-it was strange knowing that you have a little brother and seeing him and talking to him, but never meeting him. Gohan let his mind wander a bit as he flew as fast as he could down the winding path. Time elapsed, but he wasn't sure how much time. Finally over the horizon appeared a blessed sight-the check-in station. 

Goten sat in a chair and pouted. Trunks sat beside him, doing the same. "What's wrong?" Goku asked them. "We aren't allowed to fight with you guys, we have to be in the kid's section." Trunks answered. Goku smiled." Well, just think of it this way- you'll get to defeat everyone else and then fight each other-and that's who you really want to fight, isn't it?" he said. That seemed to cheer them up a little bit, but they still weren't as upbeat as usual. Everyone just kind of wandered around for a while, meeting some of the fighters and some of the watchers. They registered themselves and met back together. They found a big group of chairs and sat down. Videl felt a soft touch on her shoulder. She expected it to be her father or some such person, but when she turned around she came face to face with a teenage boy. He had black, spiky hair and a cute, almost babyish face. His body, on the other hand, was extremely muscly and fairly tall. He looked really familiar to Videl but she couldn't quite remember who he was. "Hi," he said, "I'm Gohan." "Hi" Videl said, suddenly shy. ChiChi looked away from her conversation with Bulma and right at Gohan. Her eyes grew in size and her jaw dropped. "Gohan!" she yelled and ran at him. Gohan smiled and held out his arms. ChiChi ran into them. After a moment she pulled back and looked up at him. "Oh Gohan, you've grown up. You're so handsome!" she exclaimed. Gohan blushed. He looked up and around the groups of chairs. "Hi everyone!" he said. There were assorted Hi's and hellos and a grunt from Vejita. Gohan walked over to Piccolo. "Hiya, Piccolo." He said. "Welcome back ki- Gohan." Piccolo answered. Piccolo didn't say it, but Gohan could hear it plain as day. You're not a kid anymore. Gohan smiled a bit and shook his head. "Nope." He said. Piccolo moved towards Gohan a little and Gohan gave him a hug. "You got soft." Piccolo said, but there was no meaning behind his words. Gohan pulled back. "Yup." He said, smiling. "I registered you in for ya, Gohan." Goku said. " Thanks Dad." Gohan said. Goku nodded. Gohan looked down at the chair he was standing in front of. A small face, very much like his own stared back at him. "You must be Goten." Gohan said, smiling at the child. A grin spread across Goten's face and he jumped up and hugged his brother. " It's you!" Goten whispered. "The whole time it was my brother!" Gohan smiled and nodded. No one but Goten and Gohan knew what he was talking about. Goten jumped back in his seat and Gohan looked around. He noticed that Videl had gone, so he went off to find her. He walked a little ways, and while he was standing still she smacked into his chest. He smiled at her as she apologized. "Now Videl, why apologize?" he asked teasingly. "You were only not looking where you were going and ran smack dab into me. No biggie." Videl looked up at him and he grinned wider. "Have any good dreams lately?" he asked. He almost laughed as her eyes grew bigger and bigger. "You? You're him!" she said and Gohan noticed that she was shaking. Gohan nodded. " Yep. I know that I'm cutting right to the chase, but Mom always said I took too much after Dad. I guess I never learned patience from Piccolo like he wanted. Oh well, maybe it's a Saiyan thing." He said. "You're the guy from my dreams." She said, still barely believing it. "Yep. Hey, you didn't say the guy of your dreams. How come?" he said, smirking. "Uh… I, Uh…" she stuttered. "You seem to have lost your language skills. Maybe you just don't speak as well outside of your dreams. Guess you've been spending too much time with Vejita." He smirked. "Uh… Um, we should get back to the others." She said, blushing. He nodded. "Ok, fine by me." They walked back together silently. Gohan went and sat beside the others, half listening to Videl talk to Goten and Trunks. They were talking about losing because Goten had just lost to Trunks. Gohan walked over to them and kneeled down to Goten's height. "In that case, don't worry about it, Goten. Everybody loses sometime." "But nii-san, have you ever lost?" Goten asked. Gohan almost laughed. "Sure. When I first started sparring with Piccolo I would always lose to him. I still lose to Tou-san sometimes." "Oh, Ok." Goten said. Gohan smiled and patted him on the shoulder. He looked over Goten's head at Videl. "Well Videl, we'd better go pick our numbers for the match." He said, grinning. Videl nodded and they walked together towards the line of people waiting to pick their numbers. 

Enter chapter 438 of volume 37 (The rest of the story pretty much is the Buu saga. If you have already seen or read a summary of the saga, just don't read it again!) (http://www.planetnamek.com/dbmanga/Db_vol37.txt) 

Notes Everything is pretty much the same after this. The Buu saga really doesn't involve Gohan too much. There is one change, though… While Gohan is at Kaio-shin's and the old Kaiou gives his life for Goku to go back, Goku refuses because he doesn't want Gohan to be dead alone. The old Kaiou calls Goku a baka and explains that his life is worth more than a human life, thus when he dies, both Goku and Gohan have their lives back. 

Epilogue About a week after Buu was defeated, Gohan was enrolled in Orange Star High School. Gohan and Videl began dating, though they decided to wait a little bit before telling their parents. And, as the story goes, they lived happily ever after (until GT). 

Well I go to the river to soothe my mind Ponder over the crazy days in my life Just sit and watch the river flow. -Natalie Merchant, "Where I go" 


End file.
